Yin (音, “music”) is a weekly RADII feature that looks at Chinese songs spanning hip-hop to folk to modern experimental, and everything in between. Drop us a line if you have a suggestion.
To celebrate its fourth year of onlineness, digital music imprint Seippelabel has just released its ninth compilation of experimental and offbeat electronica from various corners of Asia.
Founded by Beijing-based musician thruoutin (aka Brad Seippel, hence the name), Seippelabel’s mission is to promote artists he’s encountered while touring around this part of the world. Brad is also adept at spotlighting individual cities’ scenes — eg, these mixes of underground music from Tianjin and Shenyang that he put together for RADII — but his Seippelabel series tend to be smaller, quieter, more carefully curated, and always full of at least one wild card surprise even for the careful follower of China’s underground music space.
The new discovery for me on Volume 9 was Thunzuho (pictured up top), a young artist in Guangzhou whose music incorporates elements of jazz, electronica, and classical. Vol. 9 also features an opening track of modular synthesizer experimentation by Alpine Decline (who are currently in the middle of a China tour promoting their latest album), a bit of ambient drone from Shenyang-based Pool of Light, somewhat off-putting spoken word lounge punk from Beijing duo GUIGUISUISUI, and a couple of artists from Indonesia and South Korea widening the geographical spread.
Stream/download Seippelabel Vol. 9 above, and if you want something to hold in your hands, shell out a few bucks to receive a print pack of four original photographs by American photographer Robert de Vay that were commissioned especially to fit the vibe of this release.
Further listening:
